pamumulaklak
by Little Miss Escapist
Summary: n. the Filipino word for 'blooming. one-shot collection. 1. They had strength to match their beauty. Ino, Sakura, Hinata, Tenten


They say it is wrong to judge based on looks alone.

It _is _true, to an extent. A pretty woman does not always have a pretty personality; an ugly woman could have a heart to shame Aphrodite's flowing locks and curvaceous figure.

But, sometimes, physical features are a key aspect to our personal formation. Sometimes, we learn to use what we are born with to our advantage.

This holds especially true with kunoichi.

**beauty**

_(and strength to match)_

Ino is a face to make women weep with envy.

Yet for all her boisterous claims, she has never been prettier than Sakura. She knows this, and she doesn't care; they're in a league of their own. No one else would have been worthy enough to be her equal, anyway.

Her beauty is a familiar sort: Ino is like a model. She is the face gracing billboards and magazine covers. She is what girls have been aspiring to be since the beginning of time. She is dance and music and romance; she is summer incarnate, with hair like spun gold and eyes like endless skies.

Ino has the vibrancy of summer and song, the beauty everyone idolizes.

She learns how to _bring_ it:

Ino learns how to watch a person, dissect the tiniest actions, discover what makes a person tick, all without ever even speaking a word to them.

At the sight of their hands, she can tell their profession. At the sight of their faces, she can tell their predisposition. At the sight of their eyes, she can tell all the secrets of their souls.

As if that is not enough, she flaunts her beauty in men's faces, brings them to their knees with a flick of her hair. She drives women mad with jealousy, bring them to their knees with a sneer.

She is always, always dressed to kill. And she always, always gets the information she needs from her victims.

---

Sakura is a face to bring empires to their knees.

Sakura has always hoped to be prettier than Ino. It is later in life she understands that she and Ino are incomparable.

For you may never find a girl beautiful like Sakura; Sakura is like a fairy. She is the pretty little princess in storybooks and fairytales. She is unreal, ethereal, and girls are too smart to chase after her: the deity of myths and paintings that they could never be. She is dreams and nature and life; she is spring incarnate, the flowers lending their petals for her hair and the leaves finding home in her eyes.

Sakura has the verve of spring and smiles, the beauty that belongs up in the heavens.

She learns how to _be _it:

Sakura learns how to talk to a person, lead them to success.

She hears their lives pour forth from their lips. She knows them like no one else can, and understands their every expression. She is the one _everyone_ runs to, the one _everyone_ in Konoha (and Suna) knows and adores.

She disregards her beauty, knowing she can bend mountains with a flick of her wrist. She drives women mad with admiration, bringing them up to new levels with a smile. She is quick on her feet, making good decisions that even a creature as great as Katsuyu does not question.

She is always, always dressed as she is. And she always, always wins the hearts of her peers.

---

Hinata is a face to inspire fondness.

She is not quite so pretty as vivacious Ino or lively Sakura. But she manages.

She is sweet and unassuming, adorable; Hinata is like a doll. She is all porcelain and rosy cheeks. She is whispers of snow and promises of sun. She is winter incarnate, not quite so beautiful as summer or spring, but lovely all the same, snowflakes in her eyes and coal in her hair.

Hinata is the beauty of winter and wonder, the beauty that is unassuming and harmless and loved by all.

She learns how to _live_ it:

Hinata learns how to bewitch a person, to cast them under her spell.

She admires people from afar, and she makes them believe in themselves.

She uses her beauty to make people believe she is vulnerable. She makes people feel like they _should _love her, that they _should_ follow her. She shocks people with her power, unashamed to declare how she feels and get under their skins.

She is always, always dressed with mystery. And she always, always earns the faith of her kinsmen.

---

Tenten is a face to forget.

She would be envious of picture perfect Ino or statuesque Sakura or pretty little Hinata, but she is happy for her plainness.

Her features are a weapon, thus Tenten is like a kunai. She is nothing to look at, all harsh edges without any artistry. She easily goes unnoticed, but is deadly when she makes herself known. She is fall incarnate, finding beauty in the way she flies, the color of falling leaves in her eyes and hair.

Tenten has the subtlety of autumn and accuracy, the (un)beauty of grace and deception.

She learns how to _use _it:

Tenten learns how to support a person, to cover all their weaknesses and strike the enemy in theirs.

She gets up close and personal. She is brisk, unsympathetic, and sincere.

She uses her lack of beauty to conceal herself in the shadows. She is not a social butterfly, but she ties people together. She observes, waiting for the times she can be of help.

She is always, always dressed practically. And she always, always hits the mark.

---

Ino is the girl who dances through life. She is the spy, the seductress, the siren. Ino lives in fields of flowers and sunny skies, and at the same time she can crawl through the shadows of the mind. It is obvious in the river of sunshine that sprouts from her head and the free sky that resides in her eyes.

Sakura is the one that gets to have it all. She is the living legend, on an entirely different league. She is Death's mistress, unleashing him on the battlefield yet beating him away from the souls he tries to claim before their time. It is blatant in the delicacy of her features and the brilliance of her eyes and hair.

Hinata is the sweetheart. She earns undying faith and devotion with a stutter, and she never lets anything get to her head. She wears her heart on her sleeve and motivates others to believe. It is shown in the blush on her cheeks and the thick, long eyelashes that tangle at the ends.

Tenten is the Weapons Mistress. She is a team player. She is not particularly special; she is not the most persuasive, nor the most powerful, nor the most faithful. It is displayed in the mess of her hair and her uncouth features. (But she is the only one that dances in midair and _soars._)

---

These are the heiresses to the Will of Fire.

Comrades rush to their sides; enemies flee while they have the chance.

They are grace and power and dignity; they carry the name of the Leaf with pride.

These are the heiresses to the Will of Fire.

With strength to match their beauty.

--

**author's notes:**

kay, that made no sense. (and apparently people have noticed, so i combed through it again. it's basically trying to show how their beauty correlates to their individual strengths.)

taking requests! so please put them in your reviews. :D (or PM, whichever.)


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